Lost
by SheeWolf85
Summary: Renesmee gets lost in the winter woods. Survival seems hopeless when along comes an unusual hero. Rated T for some possibly disturbing moments. Oneshot. AH.


A/N: I don't know what inspired this. It just kind of happened. I was going to end it before the break but then decided that I really didn't want it to end that way. I wasn't in the mood for that kind of tragedy, I guess. So you get the second part as well. Enjoy!

Thanks a million to WolfGirl1335 and ReneeFF for pre-reading. Love you girls!

I don't own the recognizable characters.

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LOST

The trees were much denser than Renesmee had first pictured. It seemed like it should have been a straight shot from the meadow where she realized she was lost to the road that would lead her back to her friends. She felt like she'd been walking for weeks. Her legs were tired and cold, her feet were numb, and her stomach cramped with hunger. How long had it actually been? She'd forgotten. She'd seen at least two nights, maybe more.

Had it been summer, or even fall or spring—any other season but winter—she might have been able to find food and water and survive a few more days until her friends could find her. As it was, the harsh snow had frozen and killed anything she could have eaten without hunting, and all the streams in the area were ice. She had managed to find a few twigs to chew on. Time was running out, regardless. She could feel it.

As she walked on, hoping to find something she could turn into a temporary shelter, she shivered and pulled her coat tighter around her. The one thing she could say for herself was that she had dressed appropriately. Her huge coat, snow suit, warm wool hat, and thick boots and gloves were the only things that had kept her alive this long.

Renesmee wondered briefly how she'd let her friends talk her into the trip in the first place. She'd gone skiing plenty of times and had never particularly enjoyed it. But she had gone anyway. She couldn't even remember now why she had started to wander around. Maybe she'd been bored. Whatever the reason, it wasn't a good one. It had gotten her lost and in the situation she was in now. She was going to die. It wasn't a question anymore like it had been when she had a clear head and could pretend she'd find her way back. No, there wasn't anything she could do now but try to postpone it.

For a moment, she wondered why she should. Wouldn't it be easier to just lie down and let the cold overtake her? What was there to fight for? Her parents would miss her, but she didn't have any boyfriends or children that would mourn her. Her friends would weep, sure, but they'd soon get over it. They got over the loss of Molly after her tragic skydiving accident. It had been painful for everyone, but eventually they all moved on. It would be the same with her. Someday her body would be found and everyone would get the closure they needed to say she was in a better place.

But would she really go to a better place? Was there a heaven that would open its gates to her? She couldn't recall one single thing she'd done that was so terrible she wouldn't be let in. At the same time, she rarely, if ever, went to church. She said her prayers only when she needed something. She had prayed when she realized she was lost. It seemed it went unanswered. Did the little things really matter that much? She'd coveted and lied and stole two gummy bears from the store when she was eight years old. They were the big ones from the bulk foods, and she knew her mother would say no.

It was getting dark again. Renesmee blinked a few times and looked up at the sky. It was so clear she felt she could see all the way to the heaven she might be going to. She shivered with a gust of biting wind. It scraped across her face and brought tears to her eyes.

Her stomach rumbled again. It twisted and gurgled and cried out in pain. She wrapped her arms around it and trudged on.

She was tired. So tired. There was no shelter anywhere near her. No cave or rocks or tree roots that could shield her from the wind and cold. She stopped walking and looked down at the ground. If she just laid down and went to sleep, her death could be peaceful. She looked around at the still, snowy trees and drew in a shuddering breath. The air froze her lungs and made her cough. She whimpered and rested one hand on her throat. Peaceful was much better than the alternative.

Every muscle felt stiff. She tried to lean down, make it easy, but instead she fell over. She cried out when her hip hit a rock. So much for peace. But instantly, her body felt better. Less aching. She laid her head down on her arm and closed her eyes.

Goodbye, she thought. Goodbye, mother. Goodbye, father. Goodbye, friends. I've lived a good life.

Tears welled in her eyes and dripped down her temple. They were so hot they burned her frozen skin.

Renesmee didn't hear the soft footsteps around her. She didn't even hear the distant howling. It wasn't until something moved right in front of her face that she realized she wasn't alone. She gasped and tried to sit up, hope flaring in her gut that she was rescued.

Hope crashed down around her in a million pointed shards when she met the eyes of her rescuer. A wolf stood before her. It licked its lips and stepped closer. Her stomach curled. She couldn't die peacefully. She was going to be eaten.

"Please don't hurt me," she whispered. "Let me die first."

The wolf whimpered and walked up to her. She closed her eyes tightly and waited for the pain. But it didn't come. She felt the movement around her and looked up again when she felt fur on her face. The wolf had laid down next to her.

"You're not going to eat me?"

It made a strange noise and licked her face. Like her tears, the warmth of the wolf's tongue burned her skin. She hissed but didn't make it stop. When it pulled back, she burrowed her face into its warm fur. It felt good.

"Thank you, Wolf," Renesmee mumbled. She forced her body to cooperate and curled up against the animal's warmth as much as she could. It remained still. Perhaps it was waiting for her to die so it could have its dinner. Whatever its motives, she was finally comfortable. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Goodnight."

The wolf whimpered. In the distance, she heard more howling. Maybe she'd feed more than one wolf. Maybe there were babies that could benefit from the meat she'd provide. With that thought, she smiled and finally allowed herself to sleep.

~*XX*~

The subtle, steady beeping was all around her. It broke through her unconsciousness and provided a stable rhythm she could breathe to. She was so warm. Everything around her was warm. But not hot. Not uncomfortable. It felt nice.

Was this heaven? There was another sound. A strange hissing that was unlike any animal she'd ever heard. Maybe she was in purgatory. She doubted hell would be this calm.

More noises became steadily clearer. An intercom with a muffled woman's voice. She couldn't make out the words. More beeping from different places and more hisses. Clacking that reminded Renesmee of high heels on a tile floor. Where was she? Certainly heaven wouldn't have tile flooring.

She tried to open her eyes. She whimpered with frustration when she wasn't able to.

There was movement beside her. Someone gasped.

"Doctor! Nurse! Someone, please!" The voice sounded like her mother. "She's waking up!"

She was dead, she couldn't wake up. She was food for a family of wolves. She remembered so vividly the moment she died.

A warm hand encircled hers. "Oh, honey, wake up, baby," the voice said. Soft lips touched her fingers. "Please, baby."

She squeezed her eyes shut and finally managed to part her eyelids. Her mother's face crowded her view. Her eyebrows were knitted together and tears fell freely from her eyes. "Baby, you're awake."

Renesmee frowned and looked around. She was in a hospital room. The monitor beside her continued to beep, the sounds growing closer together as she looked at all the gadgets around her. Tubes and wires and a respirator that continued to hiss.

She couldn't speak. Something was in her throat. Two men walked in. One of them held a syringe and injected something into one of her tubes. She looked at her mother again before everything faded away.

When she woke up again, the hissing was gone. The monitor still beeped. All of the other noises had disappeared as well. She furrowed her brow and opened her eyes. The room was dark. Her mother was asleep on the chair beside her bed. She took a deep breath and tried to sit up. Her whole body hurt in one way or another. A dull ache ran down her spine, her legs still felt fatigued, and her feet burned.

The door swung open and she shook her head when another man walked in. "I don't want anymore," she said.

The man stopped in his tracks and looked at her. "I didn't know you were awake. I was coming in to check on you. My name's Jacob, I'm your nurse." He held out his hand. "How are you feeling?"

She shook his hand slowly and looked him over. He was tall with short, dark hair and a trimmed goatee. "I don't know. Confused. But I don't want to sleep anymore."

He held up his hands. "I don't have any sleeping potions, don't worry. So you had a pretty good trek in the woods, I hear."

She grimaced. "Yeah, I guess. I thought I was dead. When I woke up, I really thought heaven had tile floors."

He nodded and scooted a stool over to sit on. "None of us were sure you'd wake up. From what I hear, a pack of wolves saved your life. Do you believe that?" He smiled like it was the most incredible thing he'd ever heard.

She remembered the wolf in the woods. It had laid down beside her, keeping her warm so she could sleep. She thought it was so she could die. "Yes, I do." Her eyes watered. "What happened to the wolves?"

Jacob shrugged. "I don't know. I wasn't there, but man I wish I had been. This crazy guy comes into the ER carrying you like a child and starts spouting off this story about how he was hunting and three or four wolves surrounded him and literally guided him to where you were. He said he didn't know if you were dead or not, but he couldn't just leave you out there."

Renesmee licked her lips. "That's amazing." She wished she could somehow thank them. Or at least the man that had brought her in. "Do you know where that man is now?"

Jacob shook his head. "I don't. He didn't leave his name or any contact information. I know he was an older guy, though. A little eccentric from the way he told the story."

She nodded and laid back down. "How long have I been here?"

He leaned forward and folded his arms on the side of her bed. "Three days. The first day was the worst. We had you on 'round the clock watch to check all your vitals. Well, we still do, but it's not as urgent. You lost three toes." He frowned.

She furrowed her brow and looked down at her feet. "That's why they hurt so badly."

He nodded. "Yeah. They'll probably hurt for the next few weeks. You're lucky that you didn't lose any fingers."

"Does that mean I won't be able to walk?" She couldn't imagine that.

Jacob shook his head. "No, not at all. You might have to learn to adjust without your pinky toes, but I've seen people walk after losing a lot more than you did. You're lucky he didn't have to take both your feet. Those boots you had on did a good job."

She smiled. "Thank you for telling me."

"Sure thing. Are you cold? Tired? Hungry? In any pain?"

She smiled. "No, not really, yes, and yes."

"Do you want some pain meds?"

She scrunched her nose. "Will they make me fall asleep again?"

He shook his head. "Not if I just give you some strong Ibuprofin."

She was relieved. "I'd really like that. What's on the menu?"

Jacob looked at her chart. "For you, chicken soup. Do you want some? It's pretty tasty for hospital food."

"Yes please." Tasty or not, food was food.

"Coming right up. Don't go anywhere."

She chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't."

He nodded and got up to get what she'd asked for. She sighed and laid back down, staring at the ceiling. Her eyes watered when she thought of that wolf in the forest. She was alive right now because of it. "Thank you," she whispered. It would have to do, because she knew she'd never actually get the chance to say it to the animal. And what good would that do anyway? She sniffled. "Thank you so much."

Jacob returned with a tray and set it on the table. He moved the table up to her and showed her how to use the mechanical bed functions to raise her head. After she'd taken a few sips of what she considered the best soup she'd ever eaten, he gave her the Ibuprofin to take with her water.

"Thank you, Jacob," she said.

He smiled. "You're welcome, Renesmee. Do you need anything else?"

She shook her head. "I am so good right now. I swear I will never take food and warmth for granted ever again."

He touched her hand. "I'm glad you didn't die out there."

She looked up and met his eyes for a moment. "I am, too."

He smiled and patted her hand before he left to make his rounds.

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A/N: Thank you for reading! *hugs and kisses*


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